A record that asks for discontinuation, not an update: 33 Flash Player entries
A double free flaw identified in 2014 was added to the catalog on 17 September 2024. What it requires is not applying an update but ceasing to use the product.
Key facts
- CVE IDCVE-2014-0502
- Affected (vendor / product)Adobe Flash Player
- CWECWE-399
- ExploitationListed in CISA KEV (exploitation confirmed)
- Remediation due2024-10-08 (U.S. federal civilian agencies, BOD 22-01)
Key points
- A double free flaw in Adobe Flash Player allowing remote arbitrary code execution.
- The identifier dates from 2014 but the catalog entry from 17 September 2024, a ten-year gap.
- The required action is discontinuation of an end-of-life product, not an update.
- Flash Player appears 33 times, with identifier years confined to 2010 through 2018.
1A record with nothing left to fix
The previous article had a remediation instruction updated to a newer framework. This record is the reverse: the option of fixing does not exist.
2The required action is a different kind of thing
Fix it by the date becomes stop using it by the date. In operational terms those are not comparable tasks. An update ends when it is applied; a retirement requires an alternative and the migration of whatever depended on the product.
3What a ten-year-old identifier means here
The identifier is from 2014 and the listing from September 2024. That gap does not mean the flaw was newly discovered. It means an old flaw was confirmed to be still in use by attackers. Where a product that is no longer supplied remains in an estate, a defect from ten years ago is still a way in.
The 33 Flash Player entries span identifier years 2010 to 2018. No new defects will be added. What remains exposed are the estates where the product is still installed.
The next article takes up a record where the party to fix it is not a single one.
Why it matters
Update coverage alone never reflects records for end-of-life products. Whether products due for retirement still exist in the estate needs a separate measure of its own.
FAQ
Why is a ten-year-old flaw listed now?
Can this not be closed with an update?
What is a double free?
Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official data below. Always verify the exact, latest details and applicability with the official and vendor sources.
- CISA KEV Catalog (known exploited list)
- NVD (CVE details / CVSS)
- Vendor / reference advisory
- This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. KEV data is CC0 (public domain).